BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY
One of the most commonly seen birds in the Galápagos, the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxi) is also one of the most enjoyable to watch. There are three species of boobies in the Galápagos (masked, red-footed, and blue-footed), all in the family Sulidae.
The blue-footed booby has bright blue feet, incredible diving behavior, and intricate courtship dances, which make these sea birds among the most popular animals in the archipelago. Their bright blue feet are a remarkable contrast to the dark lava rocks, on which they can be seen perching all over the Galápagos. The males are distinguished from the females by their smaller bodies and smaller pupils. But one of the most obvious differences is the characteristic whistle that only males make. In contrast, females make an extremely different-sounding, short nasal honking.
The three booby species can be distinguished by their feeding patterns. Blue-footed boobies dive for fish close to shore, masked boobies hunt for fish further out, and red-footed boobies travel many miles out to sea to dive for their dinners. All three have similar power-diving styles—head first, beak pointing down, wings pressed tightly against their body, from fifteen meters or so above the ocean. They hit the water at tremendous speeds, pop back up, and take off again quickly. An amazing sight to see—15, 20, 30 birds circling and then hurtling toward the water like projectiles, only to rise and start all over again.
By far the most amusing behavior of the blue-footed booby is their courtship ritual. The 'sky-pointing' of the male (wings held back and beak pointing upward), and the 'head-down' posture of the female are followed by prancing and showing off their rubber-looking blue feet.
